Super-Easy Birthday Cake Ideas

You don't have to be a cake decorator to put together a cute theme cake or cupcake display! Go to party stores and look for non-edible party items that could be fun cake toppers. Look for creative ways to use crackers, cookies and candies from the grocery store. Here are some easy ideas that anyone can do:

These Minnie Mouse Cupcakes are so simple - use miniature oreos for the ears and cut bits of pink fondant for the bows.

 

Printable paper toppers are available online for any theme. Tape them to lollipop sticks and stick in the cupcakes or cake. You can buy plastic molds for these seashells (or just about any theme) at craft stores or online. Melt white chocolate (or meltable candy pieces) and pour into the molds. They set up quickly in the fridge. Garnish the plate with something that fits the theme (in this case cracker crumb sand).

 

 Cut a sheet cake into the shape of an ice-cream cone and frost it like this

 

 Look for toys in the theme you want (in this case a little monkey) and make simple edible accents to go with it. These palm trees are pretzel rods with Royal Icing leaves. Just make some royal icing, pipe in a rough leaf shape and let dry. Attach to the top of the pretzel rods with more royal icing and let dry (you will need to put the pretzel rods in a glass or something to hold them upright). Stick them in the cake and add some brown M&Ms as coconuts.

 These CandyLand cupcakes were topped with lollipops, candy canes, and giant gumdrops. Using brightly-colored cupcake wrappers and display plates helps make them even more colorful.



 These dinosaur cupcakes are another example of using molds and meltable candy chips 

to create a simple edible toppers.

 

 

For a more adult cake, cover the cake in rich chocolate frosting, chocolate covered strawberries, and shaved chocolate. For the strawberries: chop some good quality chocolate into pieces, melt it in a double boiler, dip in the strawberries and dry on waxed paper. Shaved Chocolate: Use a vegetable peeler to shave pieces from a bar of chocolate (use a good quality chocolate for this).

 

 

These lovely cameos are actually very simple to make. You can buy a cameo mold at cake supply stores or online. Use melted white chocolate in the mold and then dust with lustre dust to highlight it. The pearls are edible candies (also from the cake supply store) and a pretty satin ribbon is an easy way to make a cake have a finished, tailored look.